We live our lives on a quest.  A quest for meaning, happiness, fulfillment, joy, and connection.  In short, we are looking for LIFE … and not a so-so kind of life … but life to fullest, (we might say) ABUNDANT LIFE.  We are on an abundant life quest.

This is why we buy certain products.  Somehow we have become convinced that our lives would be just a little better driving a ______.  Or that our summer’s would be more abundant if we visited ___________.

On our abundant life pursuit, how do we know where to find it?  Well, often we listen to others we trust.  When a good friend says, “I had the BEST FAJITAS EVER,” then you tend to lean in that direction the next time you are going to eat out.  When a trusted voice in your life says, “we stayed at this place when we went on vacation, you simply HAVE TO GO,” then the next time you are planning a vacation you know where to look next.

We are so programmed to think this way, we will listen to the advice of TOTAL STRANGERS on Yelp, Trip Advisor, or Google to see where we might maximize our life one decision at a time!

But the sad reality is that (as U2 so famously observed), in our quest for life, many of us “still haven’t found what we’re looking for.”  Can you relate?

Well, if this describes you, I would like to offer that the path to abundant life may not be best marked on facebook, but through the direction of a couple of Friends.

From Friend #1, Jesus Christ – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

From Friend #2, King David – “Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name forever!  Oh, taste and see that the LORD Is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” (Psalm 34:3, 8)

Jesus offers to give life TO US, not take life FROM US … and David, having lived his life trusting in the LORD, leaves a five star review.  This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, in part 3 of our series “Him Book: Psalms for our Souls,” we will be looking at Psalm 34, hearing David’s review of how following the LORD has led to an abundant life, then being challenged to follow the LORD as well.  Hope you make plans to join us in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service.  Who knows … maybe you will find what you are looking for.  Join us as we exalt His name together this weekend!

On Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Psalm 23.  This message was part 2 in the “Him Book” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Psalm 23
3. Who are some of the “shepherds” in your life?  In other words, who are you trusting, listening to, allowing to guide you?  If you followed them for the next 8 months, where do you think they will take you?
4. David reminds us that THE LORD HIMSELF is our “shepherd.”  In what ways is the LORD a superior “shepherd” to any of the other voices/leaders in your life?
5. What are some of the ways that you have seen the Lord provide for your needs in the past? How does remembering what the Lord has done in your life, encourage you to trust Him more this year?
6. What “valley of deep darkness” are you walking through right now?  How does knowing the Lord is WITH YOU, encourage you to not fear today?
7. In this life, we are not removed from the vicinity of our “enemies” . . . yet the Lord can still bless us even in the shadow of these challenges.  Can you think of a time when you were blessed by God, even in the midst of trials?
8. What is one particular application you took away from this message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Him Book #2 4.14.24

 

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We are trusting people … at least those of us who have ever flown on an airplane!

Have you ever considered the amount of trust you place in the pilot, ground crew, maintenance team, and airplane manufacturer every single time you get on a plane? Think about it … you place your possessions (luggage) in the hands of the ground crew, TRUSTING they will get your stuff to your destination. You place your life in the hands of the pilot, TRUSTING he or she will drive you through takeoff and landing. You place your safety in the care of the maintenance crew and plane maker, TRUSTING that they have tightened all the bolts and inspected the plane for potential weakness so doors don’t fly off at 20,000 feet!

Now, here is what is amazing … we extend that kind of TRUST to people we have NEVER MET! Wagering our lives, our safety, and our stuff – we willingly get on board … even more – WE PAY GOOD MONEY to get on board.

Given this dynamic, I have to ask … are we CRAZY?

Well, it all depends on whose plane you are riding in! If you are flying on an airline with a stellar reputation for safety and attention to detail, it does not seem wild that their aircraft will remain intact. And, there is a rigid training process that commercial pilots have to complete in order to work for an airline, so when you climb aboard the plane, you are not silly to assume certain capabilities in the pilot.

We gladly trust our life and our stuff to Delta or Southwest because of what we know about them. It is no blind leap. By trusting them, we are able to get where we want to go.

Now, I was thinking of this dynamic today while reflecting on Psalm 23. This Psalm begins with the emphatic words, “The LORD is my shepherd …” In this opening phrase, King David is not saying “God is my co-pilot” … he is saying, “God is my pilot, and I am on His plane.” David celebrates and rests in the notion that he can have peace and contentment in life EVEN IN THE MIDST OF TURBULENCE, because of WHO is flying his plane! Peace comes from who is in the cockpit more than in the quality of the drink service mid-flight!

This Sunday, at Wildwood Community Church, we will be in part 2 of our Psalm series “Him Book,” looking at Psalm 23 in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 service. We will rest and trust in the Lord through this Psalm, then celebrate the Lord’s Supper together (while singing a musical rendition of this great Psalm). Hope to see you Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service … and bring friends!

On Sunday, April 7, 2024, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Psalm 8.  This message was part 1 in the “Him Book” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Psalm 8
3. What are some of your favorite Christian songs?  What makes them your favorites?  Look up on Google when they were written.
4. What are some aspects of God that make you think of His majesty?  Are there experiences you have had, places you have been, things you have read or learned, that have caused you to respond by exalting God?
5. Humans have a very special place in God’s design.  What are some of the ways you are tempted to value something else more than God or people created in God’s image?
6. Think of a normal week for you.  In what areas is God having you exhibit some form of “dominion” in the world?  How does remembering this help bring dignity to your “day job”? 
7. What is one particular application you took away from this passage/message?

To access these questions in pdf format click here.

 

To listen to message offline, click the link:

Him Book #1 4.7.24

 

To listen online, use media player below:

 

To watch online use YouTube:

 

Christianity is a singing religion … after all, there is MUCH to celebrate about our God and His Gospel! Jesus Himself sang with His disciples on the night before He went to the cross (Matthew 26:30). And in Colossians 3:16 we are told to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Christians have literally sung together since the beginning!

Further, Christianity is not a “fake” religion. We can be real with God … therefore, not only have Christians expressed joy in their singing, but also heartache, longing, and lament. Melodies match our mood to express our hearts at the deepest levels.

As a result, for 2,000 years, Christians have written songs celebrating our God and encouraging us to follow Him together and live for His glory. As Christians living today, we have access to both the “greatest hits” of the past two millennia, as well as new songs that are being written today. We literally have a treasure chest of rhyme and meter and message!

Sometimes, Christians will talk of loving the “old hymns.” At other times, people will mention how they love the new songs of today. Me — I like them all! But when we say “old hymn,” what do we mean?

Does “In Christ Alone” count? That one is only 23 years old now (written in 2001). How about “Great is Thy Faithfulness”? That one just celebrated its 100th birthday (written in 1923)! Or do we need to go way back to the 1800s, with songs like “How Great Thou Art” (1885), “Holy Holy Holy” (1826), or “It is Well with My Soul” (1873). But those songs are still “contemporary” compared to “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” or “Amazing Grace” (both written in 1779), “Praise to the Lord the Almighty” (1665), “A Mighty Fortress” (1529), or “All Creatures of our God and King” (1225).

Still, think of the relative youth of even Luther’s “Fortress” compared to “Be Thou My Vision,” which was written in the 500’s AD!!!!!!!!

“Old” and “young” are terms that only have meaning with a referent. To my son I am “old” while to my parents, I am a “kid.” So, understanding the sliding scale of age, what if I told you that even “Be Thou My Vision” was “new” Christian music, compared to the best worship songs and prayers ever written?

Well, written between 3,500 and 2,500 years ago, a hymnal was compiled to fuel our worship of God. This book would be named, “Praise Songs – to the accompaniment of stringed instruments.” (Ironically, that name sounds quite contemporary, doesn’t it? The “worship wars” of the 1980’s and 1990’s talked of organs vs. guitars, and hymns vs. praise music. Surprisingly, the oldest known hymnal out there was called “Praise songs – with strings”!) This ancient song book had a number of human contributors, people like Moses and King David (among others) … but the real genius of this book is that it is inerrant and inspired by God!

What is this book? It is the book of Psalms (Hebrew title means “Praise songs” and Greek title means “accompanied by strings”) … 150 songs planted in the middle of our Bibles so that we might place them at the center of our souls. Over the next 9 weeks at Wildwood, we will be walking through 9 Psalms in a sermon series titled “Him Book: Psalms for our Souls.” The series will cover the following Psalms on the accompanying dates:

* April 7 – Psalm 8

* April 14 – Psalm 23

* April 21 – Psalm 34

* April 28 – Psalm 46

* May 5 – Psalm 67

* May 12 – Psalm 90

* May 19 – Psalm 103

* May 26 – Psalm 130

* June 2 – Psalm 145

It is my prayer that these Psalms will encourage your souls in a deep way! Oh … and by the way … we will be ending each message in this series by singing a contemporary arrangement of one of these ancient songs. I. Cannot. Wait.

See you Sunday for part 1 of this series. Let’s skip the “new songs” (like “Be Thou My Vision”) for the next few weeks and sing the old stuff … written by Moses, David, and the like. 😂 See you Sunday … and bring friends!